| Forest genetics and Biotechnology |
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Code
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17697 |
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Language
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ITA |
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Type of certificate
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Profit certificate
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| Module:
(objectives)
AIMS
The course will introduce students to principles and experimental approaches, continuously evolving, of plant biotechnology. This course is intended to strengthen basic knowledge on plant biotechnology applied to forest trees (green biotechnologies, categories of biotech processes and products, model plants, plant tissue culture, recombinant methods, molecular tools), by offering a framework to approach current scientific problems (i.e. the use of transgenic trees) and also provide a basis for specialized studies in the field of in vitro clonal propagation, tree breeding and functional genomics. In the laboratory classes, students will perform some of the techniques currently used to obtain micro-propagated plants, callus cultures, and protoplasts of forest species, and to detect genetic variation. The key concepts of the course will be integrated in a series of case studies, and students will enhance their ability to apply them to novel situations in problem-solving sessions, especially devoted to the Mediterranean region.
EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS
Knowledge and understanding: at the end of the course students will have a thorough knowledge of the basic principles of forest biotechnology and of the modern techniques to obtain technological products (in vitro material characterized by clonal fidelity or somaclonal variants, secondary metabolites, transgenic and cisgenic trees, molecular tools for the study of genetic variability). Finally, they will have gained the ability to understand the potential use of biotech trees in order to increase the productivity of forest plantations also in disadvantaged environments (biotic and abiotic stress) or to use biotech trees for the recovery of barren lands (salinity, pollution);
Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be encouraged to take advantage of the knowledge acquired during the course and during laboratory practice in order to apply them to specific issues such as, for example, the propagation of ameliorated genotypes or somaclonal variants resistant to biotic or abiotic stress or characterized by high wood productivity, as well as the conservation of endangered species or provenances;
Making judgements: Students will be able to interpret and discuss scientific papers presented during class and be able to identify in them the highlights and key points;
Communication skills: during the lessons it will be stimulated students' ability to think and discuss about the topics covered as well as the comparison of opinions to develop their communication skills. These skills will then be tested in the examination;
Learning skills: students will be able to expose and develop scientific issues related to the course. The active involvement of students through oral classroom discussions and experiences in the laboratory practices, will develop that skill.
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Language
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ENG |
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Type of certificate
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Profit certificate
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Credits
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6
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Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code
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AGR/05
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Contact Hours
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48
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Type of Activity
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Core compulsory activities
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Teacher
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KUZMINSKY Elena
(syllabus)
The class and lab. activities lectures will be focused on the following groups of topics/abilities.
- General introduction to plant biotechnology: history, global significance of modern plant biotechnology, biotech trees;
- Model plants for tree species: the need of a model plant for tree species;
- Vegetative propagation and tissue culture (tree cloning, micropropagation, cryopreservation, callus culture, haploid plants, protoplast isolation, production of secondary metabolites);
- General introduction to the genetically modified trees; Methods of genetic transformation of forest trees (Agrobacterium, biolistic, and electroporation)
- Applications of recombinant DNA technology for the improvement of forest trees
- General introduction to the Omics sciences (genomics, proteomics and metabolomics)
- Sequencing of tree species (history and main methodologies), Next generation sequencing
- Molecular markers history, molecular markers currently used in plant biotechnology
- Marker Assisted Selection
(reference books)
1. Plant Cell Culture, essential methods (2010). Edited by M.R. Davey and P. Anthony. Wiley-Blackwell.
2. Tree biotechnology (2014). Edited by K. G. Ramawat, J. M. Mérillon, M. R. Ahuja. CRC Press.
3. Plant Biotechnology and Agriculture: Prospects for the 21st Century (2012). Edited by Altman A and Hasegawa PM. Accademic Press.
4. Plants, genes, and Crop Biotechnology (2003). Edited by M.J. Chrispeels & D.E. Sadava. Jones and Bartlett publishers.
Non-attending students are encouraged to contact the teacher for information about the program, teaching materials, and how to evaluate the benefit.
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Dates of beginning and end of teaching activities
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From 28/09/2020 to 15/01/2021 |
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Delivery mode
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Traditional
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Attendance
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not mandatory
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Evaluation methods
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Oral exam
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| Module:
(objectives)
AIMS
Let the student know the nature, modification, functioning and transmission of genetic information of living organisms, with particular reference to forest trees. Provide the principles and methods for assessing the genetic variability of forest species for its use in tree improvement.
EXPECTED RESULTS
After completing the course, students must demonstrate that they: 1) have acquired the tools for the analysis of the transmission and recombination of hereditary characters; 2) are able to interpret the results of genetic crosses; 3) have acquired knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in forest trees; 4) have acquired the principles and the methods for the study of genetic variability of forest trees; 5) are able to analyse the effects of inbreeding and evolution factors on the genetic structure of natural populations of forest trees; 6) have acquired the principles and the methods for the study of quantitative traits in forest tree species; 7) have acquired knowledge on the basic principles of genetic improvement of forest trees.
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Language
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ENG |
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Type of certificate
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Profit certificate
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Credits
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6
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Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code
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AGR/07
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Contact Hours
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48
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Type of Activity
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Core compulsory activities
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Teacher
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CIAFFI Mario
(syllabus)
FOREST GENETICS
The course is organized into four major sections:
1) summary of basic genetic principles (mendelian and molecular genetics);
2) population genetics;
3) quantitative genetics;
4) basic principles of genetic improvement of forest trees.
1) SUMMARY OF BASIC GENETIC PRINCIPLES
a) Mendelian genetics
- Mendel's principles
Monohybrid crosses: the principles of dominance and segregation; dihybrid crosses: the principle of independent assortment.
- Extension of Mendel's principles: partial dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, epistasis, genetic linkage, pleiotropy.
b) Molecular genetics and cytogenetics
- Structures of DNA and RNA.
- The central dogma of molecular biology: replication, transcription and translation, the genetic code.
- Gene structure and regulation.
- The organization of DNA in chromosomes, mitosis and meiosis, chromosome theory of inheritance,
- Genomics.
- Mutations.
- Polyploidy.
- Causes and types of variability in forest stands.
2) POPULATION GENETICS
- Genetic structure of populations: genotype and allele frequencies.
- The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium law: assumption and predictions of the law; implications of the law in natural populations.
- Mating systems and inbreeding: influence of inbreeding on genotypic frequencies, inbreeding coefficient, inbreeding depression in forest trees.
- Forces that change allele frequency (evolutionary forces): mutation, migration, selection and genetic drift.
3) QUANTITATIVE GENETICS
- Characteristics of quantitative traits.
- Study of the amount of phenotypic variation for a quantitative trait.; statistical tools: samples and populations, frequency distributions, mean, variance and standard deviation, correlation and regression analyses.
- Estimating the relative contribution of environmental and genetic effects on the observed phenotypic variability: heritability and its estimation in forest species.
- Estimating the genotypic value of parental phenotypes by the analysis of offspring: clonal and breeding values; general combining ability and specific combining ability.
- Genetic gain or genetic progress in a tree improvement program: realized gain and predicted gain on the basis of quantitative genetics theory; clonal and breeding genetic gain.
- Genetic correlations: genetic correlations between two distinct traits (traits/traits correlations); genetics correlations of the same trait expressed at different ages (juvenile/mature correlations); genetic correlations of the same trait expressed in different environments (genotype x environment interaction).
4) BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GENETIC IMPROVEMENTS OF FOREST TREES
- Genetic improvements under natural regeneration systems.
- Scope and structure of forest tree improvement programs.
- Population types and activities in the breeding cycle of tree improvement programs.
- Characteristics of different types of populations: base population, selected population, breeding population, external population.
- Propagation population: clonal seed orchards, seedling seed orchards.
- Objectives and functions of genetic tests in the breeding cycle of tree improvement programs.
(reference books)
Notes and slides of the lectures provided by the teacher.
Textbook: Forest Genetics (2009), Editors: White T.L., Adams W.T., Neale D.B. ISBN 9781845932855
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Dates of beginning and end of teaching activities
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From 28/09/2020 to 15/01/2021 |
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Delivery mode
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Traditional
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Attendance
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not mandatory
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Evaluation methods
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Oral exam
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